Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Qemzi is prepared for another mighty tussle in Norway at the weekend as he bids to stay on course for a second world powerboat racing title this season.
Al Qemzi, aiming to recapture the UIM F2 World Championship crown which he won in 2017, leads the 2019 series following his dramatic opening round victory in Lithuania last month.
Since then the Emirati driver has celebrated success as a member of the four-man Team Abu Dhabi crew who clinched the World Endurance Championships in Poland, and he is determined to extend the winning streak.
Among his team-mates on that occasion, Rashed Al Tayer joins Al Qemzi in the starting line-up for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Norway, the first of three F2 championship rounds in the space of six weeks.
With races to follow in Italy and Portugal prior to December’s final round in Abu Dhabi, both are determined to make their mark in the ancient Viking town of Tønsberg, Norway’s oldest, at the weekend.
After dominating F2 qualifying in Lithuania, Al Qemzi was awarded his second win in three years in Kaunas when Norwegian Tobias Munthe-Kaas collected a one lap penalty for a race buoy infringement after finishing ahead of the Emirati.
That setback left the Norwegian down in ninth place in the championship, and he will be eagerly looking for revenge in Tønsberg.
Team Abu Dhabi’s Al Tayer also wants to put the memory of the Kaunas race behind him after recovering from a crash in qualifying to start the Grand Prix, but going out when his boat was rammed at a turn.
Friday 2nd August
15:30 – 16:00 Match race warm up
18:00 Opening ceremony / Speed Run F2 – Top 16 in UIM F2 World Championship. Match Race F2
Saturday 3rd August
13.30 – 14.15 Free Practice F2 (45 min) Group A
14.30 – 15.15 Free Practice F2 (45 min) Group B
17.00 Baume & Mercier Pole Position
Q-1 group A F2 (20 min)
Q-1 group B F2 (20 min)
Q-1 group C F2 (20 min)
7 minute break
Q-2 15 boats (15 min)
7 minute break
Q-3 Shoot-Out for Pole position (10 boats, Single run)
19.15 Price ceremony Match Race and Speed run F2 – Top 3 drivers
Sunday 5th August
12.20 20 min Warm-up F2 – B final drivers
12.40 20 min Warm-up F2 – Pre-Qualified group
13.30 – 14.00 Repechage (20 laps) Top 3 go through to the final
16.00 UIM F2 World Championship Parade lap
16.30 Grand Prix Of Norway (30 min) 18 boats
2019 UIM F2 Grand Prix of Norway
| Country | Number | Driver | Team | Hull | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE | 2 | Johan Österberg | Team AJO | Molgaard | Mercury 200 XS |
| GBR | 3 | Owen Jelf | Owen Jelf Racing | BaBa | Mercury 200 XS |
| UAE | 4 | Ahmad Al Fahim | Victory Team | Victory | Mercury 200 XS |
| AUT | 5 | Rupp Temper | Temper Racing | DAC | Mercury 200 XS |
| SWE | 6 | Ola Pettersson | Skåne Racing Team | Molgaard | Mercury 200 XS |
| NOR | 7 | Frode Sundsdal | Sundsdal Racing | DAC | Mercury 200 XS |
| USA | 8 | Brent Dillard | Dillard Sports | DAC | Mercury 200 XS |
| NOR | 9 | Mette Brandt Bjerknæs | MBR | Moore | Mercury 200 XS |
| SWE | 10 | Oskar Samuelsson | OS Racing | Molgaard | Mercury 200 XS |
| SWE | 11 | Bimba Sjöholm | Team Sjöholm | Molgaard | Mercury 200 XS |
| NED | 17 | Ferdinand Zandbergen | Sharjah Team | BaBa | Mercury 200 XS |
| GER | 19 | Stefan Hagin | Rowe Powerboat | Molgaard | Mercury 200 XS |
| RUS | 20 | Konstantin Ustinov | New Star | DAC | Mercury 200 XS |
| UAE | 27 | Manoor Al Mansoori | Victory Team | Victory | Mercury 200 XS |
| UAE | 35 | Rashed Al Qemzi | Team Abu Dhabi | DAC | Mercury 200 XS |
| UAE | 36 | Rashed Al Tayer | Team Abu Dhabi | DAC | Mercury 200 XS |
| ESP | 37 | Hector Sanz | Icar Nautica Racing | DAC | Mercury 200 XS |
| LTU | 41 | Edgaras Riabko | F2 Lithuania | DAC | Mercury 200 XS |
| FRA | 44 | Philippe Tourre | Atlantic Team | Moore | Mercury 200 XS |
| POR | 45 | Duarte Benavente | Atlantic Team | Moore | Mercury 200 XS |
| SWE | 54 | Daniel Segenmark | SF2R | DAC | Mercury 200 XS |
| NOR | 77 | Tobias Munthe-Kaas | Stromoy Racing | BaBa | Mercury 200 XS |
| FIN | 95 | Kalle Viippo | Kalle Viippo Racing | Molgaard | Mercury 200 XS |
| GER | 96 | Nick Bisterfeld | Bisterfeld Racing | DAC | Mercury 200 XS |
